WAFU B U-20: Flying Eagles must beat Ivory Coast, says coach

Nigeria coach Aliyu Zubairu says the Flying Eagles are condemned to defeat Ivory Coast in their second match on Thursday to boost their chances of progressing to the next stage of the 2024 WAFU B U-20 Championship in Lome, Togo, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The gaffer made this observation while reflecting on their 1-0 defeat to Burkina Faso in their Group B opening match on Friday. Zubairu said the Burkinabes used their physicality to overwhelm his charges, adding that they would bounce back against Ivory Coast, urging Nigerians to keep believing and supporting the team.

He told the team’s media, “I think that we lost the match because we succumbed to the intimidation of the Burkinabes. When we watched their clips and analysed them together, we agreed that the only thing that can give them an advantage over us is their physicality.

“During the match, we changed our tactics, wanting to match them with strength, which we don’t have, so they used their own physicality to gain an advantage over us.

“But all the same, we are going to forge ahead. We all know now that it’s either we beat Ivory Coast or nothing. If we want to proceed to the next level, we just have to beat Ivory Coast, even if by more than a goal, so that we can be well secured to get to the next level.

“And like you said in preparation, we are just coming to training now to do some regeneration so that we can use it as recovery. Certainly, we are going to talk about the Ivory Coast match, and we thank God that we have five to six days to prepare for the next match.

I know what Nigerians are feeling, and I feel their pains. I know Burkina Faso is not a country ordinarily that we should lose to, but it has happened, and all I want from Nigerians is to continue to believe in the team and support the team with prayers. I believe in the next match we are going to turn things around.”

Burkina Faso’s winning goal came in the 56th minute through Dramane Coulibaly, a reward for their dominance over Nigeria in the opening stages of the encounter.

Nigeria, who won the last edition in Niamey, Niger, must now defeat the young elephants, who were drawn bye, to stand a chance defending their title.

Burkina Faso lead Group B, which also houses Nigeria and Ivory Coast, and the top two teams will progress to the semifinals of the tournament, which doubles as a qualifier for the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations in 2025 and, by extension, the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Burkina Faso will next face Cote d’Ivoire on Monday in their second match, while the Flying Eagles must regroup and focus on their decisive clash with the Ivorians on Thursday.